hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈā-təs 

1

a

: a break in or as if in a material object : gap

The … weedy hiatus between the town and the railroad.

—Willa Cather

… the hiatus between the theory and the practice of the party …

—J. G. Colton

b

biology : a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ

2

a

: an interruption in time or continuity : break

especially : a period when something (such as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted

after a 5-year hiatus from writing

a summer hiatus

b

: the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound

Did you know?

This brief hiatus in your day is brought to you by, well, hiatus. While the word now most often refers to a temporary pause, hiatus originally referred to a physical opening in something, such as the mouth of a cave, or, as the 18th century British novelist Laurence Sterne would have it, a sartorial gap: in the wildly experimental novel Tristram Shandy, Sterne wrote of “the hiatus in Phutatorius’s breeches.” Hiatus comes from the Latin verb hiare, meaning “to open wide,” which makes it a distant relation of both yawn and chasm. And that’s all we have for now—you may resume your regular activities.

Synonyms of hiatus

• gap
• hole

Examples of hiatus in a Sentence

The band is making an album again after a five-year hiatus.

Steam was rising from a hiatus in the ground.

Recent Examples on the Web

Carlton released several more albums in the 1980s with moderate success, and briefly went into hiatus after the release of Private Property in 1985. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025

The team was revived in 2013 and played on and off in the National Independent Soccer Association until going on hiatus in 2021. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025

Clipse, Let God Sort Em Out The internet-era rap pioneers Pusha T, age 48, and his brother, Malice, 53, reunited after a 16-year hiatus to deliver an album that, blessedly, shows their ages. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025

After an almost 16-year hiatus, Malice and Pusha T (collectively known as Clipse) release Let God Sort ‘Em Out, one of their best works to date, and a testament to the staying power of hip-hop. —Okla Jones, Essence, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from hiare to yawn — more at yawn

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hiatus

• go on hiatus
• put on hiatus

Rhymes for hiatus

• comitatus

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Kids Definition

hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈāt-əs 

plural hiatuses

: a gap in space or time

especially : a break where a part is missing

Medical Definition

hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈāt-əs 

: a gap or passage through an anatomical part or organ

especially : an opening through which another part or organ passes (such as the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus and vagus nerves pass)